Ring binder



over their whole areas.

little looseness gives a certain freedom or flexi- Patented Dec. 28, 1943 RING BINDER John Schade, Holyoke, Mass, assignor toNational Blank. Book Company, poration of Massachusetts Application November 11, 1942, Serial No. 465,203

2 Claims.

This invention is in the art of ring binders. Its purpose is to provide an improved mechanism for holding the rings in closed condition.

The customary mechanism for this purpose has been the ring binder mechanism of the toggle opening and closing kind. It has been made of metal. I have conceived a new mechanism which is particularly well adapted to be made without metal. But it is a new and useful structure whether made of metal or of other material suchas plastic or wood, or parts of one or the other.

I will disclose the best form of the invention now known to me. It is the one I have actually reduced to practice and tested in a complete form as shown in the accompanying drawing. Its characteristics can be best understood from a specific description of the most useful form.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the binder mechanism as it is seen assembled ready for use and mounted on the back panel of a ring binder;

Fig. 2 shows the two rings separately, with a perspective outline of the frame or body formation, but without detail;

Fig. 3 shows the ring holding frame separately. It is here viewed from the bottom side as compared to Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 shows the side view of Fig. 3 structure;

Fig. 5 shows one of two bolts used with the rings and frame;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-45 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a section on line 1-1 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 8 is a detail figure to show or indicate a ring manipulation.

As I stated, the mechanism is particularly adapted to be made of non-metallic material. In the form shown, I have made the rigid strip or frame element I of wood. Its rear face is made arched, see Fig. 2. When the frame is simply riveted to the back panel P, as seen in Fig. l, the back panel is reenforced and supported in its curved form, as seen in Fig. '7. This is true even tho-ugh the surfaces are not identically curved. The line of contact generally connects the two rivets R, andthe curvatures are near enough identical for one to support the other, although the surfaces are not usually attached In fact, the feature of a bility at thebackpanel assembly, which is an advantage.

The strip or frame I has a central longitudinal groove 2 conveniently made from end to end but only the end portions are used for bolts to be Holyoke, Mass, a cormounted. Two spaced transverse grooves fiend 4 are provided for mounting the two rings 5 and 6. Each of these groovesv has a depth about equal to the thickness of the ring material. Each groove 3 and 4, at its ends, emerges as notches in the upper face and at the opposite edges of the frame. There is a desirable relation between the construction of each ring and the thickness of the frame from the bottom of groove 3 or 4 and the upper surface of the frame, a dimension indicated as n in Figs. 4 and 6. I will refer to this in connection with a description of the ring construction.

As I have made them, each ring 5 or 6 is a single piece of bent or molded plastic rod. The ring is not a complete one. It has the opening I where the ends of the bent plastic rod are spaced apart. They are spaced preferably with the distance between, substantially the same as the dimension n of Figs. 4 and 6. The reason for this will be seen in the work of assembling the parts.

I have made each bolt or slidable latch rod 8 as a molded plastic piece. It has an elongated slot 9 to receive the shank of an adjacent rivet.

This rivet is one which binds the frame to the back panel P of the binder. At each side of the bolt is a vertical groove 10. Its purpose is to receive the ends of the adjacent ring as the bolt slides in groove 2 of frame I. If the ring 5 or 6 has its ends sprung apart a little as the sides of the bolt move to closed position, then the-ends of the ring will spring into grooves l6. The latter will act as a detent hold to retain the bolt in position. This will be explained in connection with the assembly and operation of the binder.

With the parts so far described I will refer to the assembly of the binder. The binder case, apart from the ring mechanism, may be one such as made economically on an automatic case mak ing machine. It has two covers C hinged to a back panel P, all made up as one unit. The frame is placed on the back panel and fastened by rivets R. The bolts 8 are in position for the rivet shanks to pass through the bolt slots, see Fig. '7. Each ring is inserted by positioning the entrance opening for its ends to straddle the thickness it (see Fig. 6) of the transverse slot 3 or 4. When the ring is thus threaded onto the frame, it is turned circumferentially until the ends lie one at each side of the transverse groove. Then the adjacent bolt may be pushed to closing position. The forward end of the bolt is wedgeshaped. The ends of the ring normally protrude a little bit into the path of the bolt. The forward bolt end spreads the ring ends against the ring resiliency. The ends of the ring then ride the sides of the bolt until the vertical grooves of the bolt coincide with the ends of the ring. The ring then contracts, it having been spread apart previously, and the ends enter the vertical grooves I0. They act at the sides to abut the sides of the ring. The ring is held in position and the bolt is held in closed position. But the bolt can be pulled out against the hold of the ring if this is done deliberatelyby pulling out the upstanding bolt finger end 8, best shown in Fig. 5. The bolt will not fall out. I prefer to have the ring under some tension when its ends are in the vertical slots H) of the bolt, see Fig. 6. Each ring and bolt are assembled and mutually operate in the way described. It Will be seen that when the bolt is shot home, its adjacent ring cannot move circumferentially. Nor can it move along the frame as the sides of its transverse frame slot prevent. Thus, each ring is held as if it were a closed ring, and it has no movement relatively to its frame except when the ring is deliberately manipulated. The manipulation to take the ring off and put it on the frame is indicated in dotted lines of Fig. 8.

To thread paper on and oif the rings, the bolts are withdrawn enough for the rings to be turned circumferentially. Such movements are guided by the ring slots 3 and 4. They are continued until the spaced ring ends are positioned above the frame to the place where the paper is most conveniently threaded on or 01f, as the case may be.

Assume that the ring book is filled to capacity and it is desired to remove and insert a sheet near the front of the pack. The rings are unbolted. They are turned for their spaced ends to lie near the front of the sheet pack. There the sheet changing operation is most conveniently carried out. The pack, except for the sheet being changed, remains on the rings. A similar opera tion can be carried out with any page of the sheet pack, the sheets on one side being threaded over the ring end on that side and the remaining sheets on the other side. The ring opening then has the sheet to be changed on top of a pack on one or the aother side of the ring opening. It is a very convenient arrangement for the user of the book.

As before stated, my improved mechanism is particularly adapted for use of materials other than metal. When the rings are made of plastic they appear to be only semi-resilient as compared to what they are in metal. For this reason and in order to avoid depending on a characteristic of resiliency in my mechanism, the latter is made to operate mainly without that characteristic which has been customarily depended upon in all sorts of ring book mechanism. But there is enough resiliency in plastic material and in other non-metallic materials to have the ring and its bolt cooperate for interaction in the holding of the bolt and the nice holding of the ring when the bolt goes between its spaced ends.

Of course it is desirable to make the ring binder economically. My construction is particularly related in its parts for economical manufacture. The frame of wood, for example, can be made at very low cost as on a wood mold making machine. Its grooves are easily made. The bolts are made best in molded plastic form, many in a single mold. The rings, each being in one integral piece, are economical. The parts assemble easily and the back panel P of the economical binder case, by simple riveting to the frame I, holds the parts together. Quite a few movements provided for in the mechanism but the provision for such movements is accomplished by dependence on the relation of the parts in their assembled positions rather than by choice of material the characteristics of the material chosen for in the structure. The frame per se and the boits per se may be rigid pieces of any material. The rings are advantageously of a material such as plastic which has enough resiliency, even though much less than metal, to act with the bolts as described and avoid adding other parts to get the rings, bolts, and frame related for their functions.

What I claim is:

1. In a ring binder for the purpose described, the sub-"combination of a frame piece consisting of rigid strip having a flattened arch top surface an arched bottom surface, a transverse and arched-shaped groove in the under side of a depth about equal to the thickness of a binder ring, said groove intersecting the top surface of the strip in the form of oppositely disposed side notches, a central longitudinal groove on the urn der side of the strip intersecting the transverse groove, a binder ring segment adapted to lie in the transverse groove for free circumferential movement so as to position a permanent radial opening to the ring segment of a width about equal to the width of the longitudinal groove, a latch rod mounted for sliding in the longitudinal roove with an end for moving into and out of position between the ends of the ring segment, whereby the latter is sometimes permitted and sometimes prevented from circumferential movements, and a wedge-shaped end for said latch rod and vez'tica .de slots on the latch rod, the r segment latch rod being dimensioned so as to spread the ends of the ring segment and have contract as detents in the vertical side slots to function as holding detents.

In a ring binder for the purpose described, the combination of a binder case of archedshaped back portion and hinged covers, a rigid strip with an under side conforming to the back portion. fastened against the same, said strip having "t of transverse grooves on the under side, a d= ring segment for each groove of the set adapted lie in its groove for free circumferez-itial movement so as to position its permanent radial opening centrally of said strip and groove, the segment being substantially the thickness of such groove, said strip having central longitudinal groove means on the under side intersecting each of the transverse grooves, sliding latch means said longitudinal groove including side notches into which the ends of the ring segme" is may snap for position, wedging means for pr g the ends of the rings apart as the latch means along the longitudinal groove in the latching operation, said latching means being adapted to free the ring segments for circumferential movements or receive their ends in said notches to prevent such movements, the parts being dimensioned for the stated purpose and operation.

JOHN SCI-LADE. 

